Runaway
by LunaLovegood'sBestFriend
Summary: Lovino Vargas is sick and tired of being compared to his brother. So he runs, leaving his old, horrible life behind for one of adventure. But, along the way, he meets an assortment of characters who will convince him that running is not the answer. First fanfiction! Full summary inside! Please Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**Runaway**

Lovino Vargas was different. In a good way or bad, he didn't know. All he knew was that it was hard being different.

His brother, however, was, what he called, a carbon clone. Feli was as happy and bubbly as all the other six year olds. Lovino, however, was a "grumpy" eight year old.

He never used to resent his brother. For the first four years of Feli's life, he adored his brother. Then his parents were killed in a car crash. His grandparents took them in and, apparently, decided Feli was more important.

The two years of "Why can't you be more like Feli?" were hell. As he grew older, Lovino learned to put up walls, to not let anybody get close for the fear of them meeting his brother and liking him more.

Lovino was _this _close to snapping.

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The final straw was his Nonna's dinner party. Lovino had worked hard all day to impress his grandparents, but as soon as he was done, Feli was praised for the smallest thing.

"Oh! Wow!" Nonna said. Lovino's chest puffed up in pride- "Romulus! Look what Feli did!" and deflated in hopelessness. He turned, running up the stairs and slamming his bedroom door.

Throwing himself on his bed, Lovino sobbed, letting go of all of his emotions. _Hopelessness. Anger. Heartbreak. _

He didn't care what his foolish brother had done. All he cared about was how his grandparents didn't seem to care. _About what he had done. About how he cared. About__** him**__._

He gathered his clothes and put them in his travel backpack. He was **done**. Done caring. Done listening. Done with everything.

Sneaking past the dining room his fam- **No.** They weren't his family. A family was supposed to love you. A family was supposed to **care.**

Sneaking past **them**, he collected food and stole about $500 from the family chest. He would need it for a bus fare.

To where, he didn't know. But he had to get **away.**

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Later that night, at about twelve, Lovino tied his blankets together. Throwing them out the window, like one would a rope, he grabbed his backpack and proceeded to climb down. He was almost down when his bag caught a tree. Irritated, he shook it free, falling down in the process. He landed on his stomach, knocking the wind right out of him.

Annoyed, he shook it off and started the lonely walk to the bus stop.

Once, he got there he was miffed to discover that the next bus came at 8;30 the next morning. 'Oh, well.' He thought, 'Guess I can catch up on my sleep.'

He sat the only blanket he had brought with him on the bench next to the stop and laid down, trying to rest.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Eight hours later, Lovino was awoken by a honk.

"Up and at 'em, kid! Hurry up if you're getting on!" As soon as he heard that, he scrambled up, hurriedly grabbing his stuff.

"Say, what's a kid like you doing traveling alone?" The nosy bus driver asked.

"None of your damn business!" He shouted, causing the other occupants to stare at him.

"Geez, I was just wondering! Don't be so touchy!" The idiot laughed. "What's your name, barnet?"

Lovino didn't know what barnet meant, but he didn't ask. "Lovino." He said, glaring.

"Well, I'm Matthias! Where you going?" Matthias questioned.

"Anywhere."

"Real specific." Matthias commented. "Come on, kid. I need to know."

Thinking quickly, Lovino remembered a cousin he had in Belgium. "As far as you can take me towards Belgium."

"Well, I can take you to Bern, Switzerland, but that's as far as I can go."

"How much?" He questioned, reaching towards his pocket.

"Five dollars."

"What?" He said in shock.

"Look, kid, I can tell when someone's desperate to escape somewhere, and you, you're definitely desperate." Matthias said, smiling.

"Oh. Well, thanks." He took out a five and handed it to him.

Lovino turned and walked down the aisle, choosing a seat in the back. Could he really do this? Could he possibly get away? 'Yes.' He decided, 'Yes, I can.'

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

About eleven hours later, he was there. He walked down the aisle and did something that shocked even himself. He **HUGGED** Matthias. "Thank you." Then he turned and walked off the bus without another word. He waved as the bus drove off, turning once they were gone.

'Shit. How am I supposed to get to Belgium?'

He decided to hitch hike. Yes, he knew it was dangerous, but he needed to find his cousin.

It just so happens that at that moment a girl and her brother were on their way to the store. "Basch?" "Yes, Lili?"

"What's that boy doing?" She pointed to a boy on the side of the road holding out his thumb.

"Oh, he's hitchhiking." He said. "Can we help him? Please?" She gave him her best puppy eyes.

He tried to stay strong, but could not. He sighed. "Fine." He pulled up next to the kid. "Do you need a ride?" Basch said, trying to sound bored.

Lovino stared in surprise. "I-I-I… Y-Yes, I do." He stuttered. The girl opened the door and scooted over. "Hi!" She said, once he was in and buckled up. "I'm Lili. What's your name?"

"I-I'm Lovino."

"Where to?" Basch asked.

"Liége, Belgium." He said, warily.

"Alright."

The rest of the six hour car ride was spent in silence. Once they pulled into a gas station, Lovino got out. "Thank you." He said, shyly. "No problem!" Lili replied, cheerfully. "Bye!"

"Goodbye."

He turned and walked into the gas station. Lovino walked up to the counter and asked "Do you know a girl named Laura, by any chance?"

"Its gonna cost ya."

"How much?"

"Ten dollars."

"Fine." He begrudgingly pulled out a ten.

"She lives in Northwell Apartments on High Street. 51, I think."

He left, heading to High Street. He saw the apartment a block away. It was a tall white building with many windows.

He smiled, relieved. Running in, he stormed down the hall. Seeing apartment 51, he knocked. A girl with blonde hair and green eyes opened the door. She smiled when she saw Lovino.

"Lovi!" She hugged him. "Where's Nonna and Nonno? And your brother?"

"I… sort of came alone."

"YOU WHAT?!" She shouted, startled. "What happened?"

"It's a long story." He said.

"Well, come in and sit then!" She herded him inside.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

"Oh, Lovi, I'm so sorry!" She cooed. Lovino's eye twitched, him not liking being called Lovi.

"It's alright, Laura, I'm okay now." He sighed.

"If you want, you can stay with me. It'll be like old times. What do you say?"

"I'm sorry, Laura, but I can't. They'll check here and make me go back. Plus, I would only be a burden to you"

"Lovino Romano Vargas! Don't you dare say that!" She gripped his shoulders. "Hey, look at me." He obeyed. "You will never be a burden to me. I love you, Lovi."

"Love you too, Laura." He hugged her.

"I can at least help you get somewhere they'll never find you."

"Where?" He said, curiously.

"America."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxX

Two weeks later, he was at the airport, Laura hugging him goodbye.

"Do you have everything?"

"Yes, Laura."

"Your toothbrush?"

Yes, Laur-"

"Your new cellphone?"

"Yes."

"And the name and number of my friend?"

"It's Elizabeta Héderváry."

"Yes. I'm going to miss you, Lovi." She said, sadly. "It's going to be lonely without you."

"I'll miss you too. I'll call you once I get there."

"Flight 394 to America, now boarding." A voice over the intercom said.

"Goodbye, Laura!" He raced towards the gate, stopping at the entrance to turn around and wave.

"Goodbye, Lovi." She said with tears in her eyes.

He boarded with the rest of the passengers and chose a seat near the front. 'I'm getting away.' He thought with relief.'Goodbye, sadness.'


	2. Chapter 2

So, thank you Midnight Alexis Thorn, A Cat Named Grace, Kira-Vantas, Melitalo13, Shadow Elvin Angel, fanfiction3351, mirrorkirby64, and spirtualnekohime4 for following! And thank you Melitalo13 and amichalap for favoriting! And here's the full summary: Lovino Vargas is sick and tired of being compared to his brother. So he runs, leaving his old, horrible life behind for one of adventure. But, along the way, he meets an assortment of characters who will convince him that running is not the answer. Among them are Matthew Williams and Gilbert Beilschmidt. When they join him, at first, Lovino is annoyed. But, as they grow closer, he, slowly, learns how to trust.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. If I did, Canada and Romano would be the main focuses of the show~

This chapter is dedicated to BubbleBerryPie for giving me advice and for being my friend! And if you like The Powerpuff Girls, go check out her story "Sugar Isn't Good For You"!

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Runaway

Once Lovino was off the plane, he panicked. He was in a different country and didn't know what to do. So he called Laura.

"Lovi? What's wrong?"

"L-Laura, I'm scared." He whispered.

"Oh, Lovino." She sighed. "Don't worry, just call Elizabeta. She'll help you."

"O-Okay." He hung up, promising to call her later.

"Hello?" A voice questioned.

"Is this Elizabeta Héderváry?"

"Yes, is this Lovino?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Hail a cab and tell him to go to 432 Varylin Street. It's in Amsterdam. I'll pay for it."

"Y-you don't have to! I can pay for it myself!" He wanted to be independent now.

"Nonsense. I'll see you when you get here, okay?" "Alright."

He called a cab and told the driver the address.

"That's awfully far for a kid to be going alone, don't ya think?"

"Shut up, bastarda!" He shouted. 'I'm not a little kid!' He thought.

The cabbie snorted, but didn't say anything else.

The rest of the drive was silent, until they pulled up to a white colonial.

"Is this it?" He sounded sceptical.

"Yes, it is, idiota!" He insulted.

A brown-haired lady came out of the house. The weird thing was she was wearing a maid dress.

"Oh, thank you for bringing him! How much do I owe you?" Miss Elizabeta asked.

"$30." The cabbie said, shortly.

"Here you are." She handed it to him. Lovino went around back to get his luggage, following Elizabeta into the house once he had it.

It was a fancy house, even Lovino could see that. As they were coming in, a prissy boy walked out of a room Lovino thought was the study. Instantly, he knew he wasn't going to like this man. Apparently, the boy thought so too because he immediately started screeching.

"Elizabeta, who is this child? I sincerely hope you did not bring in some street urchin! If so, my parents won't be pleased…"

"No, of course not, Roderich! He's the cousin of my friend and his parents sent him here for a student exchange program." She explained. 'Exchange program?' Instantaneously, it hit him:

Laura had lied to her friend. She must have known that Elizabeta would never take him in if she knew the circumstances.

"Hmm. Alright." He turned to Lovino. "Just don't get in the way and try to help out." He said, shortly, walking away.

"Tch! What a jerk!" Lovino spat, angrily.

"Lovino! Roderich is letting you stay here! Be respectful!" She said.

'Whatever' He thought. (Oh no, Lovi's turning into a teenager at age eight! Call the authorities!)

Elizabeta showed him to his room and he jumped into the shower. After, he laid in his new bed, sleep coming easy to him.

The next morning, he woke up and hurriedly put on a new pair of clothes. He rushed downstairs and entered the dining room. Roderich was sat at the table, an empty plate beside him and what Lovino assumed was homework in front of him.

"Oh, good morning, urchin." Roderich said.

Lovino growled. "It's Lovino. Get it right."

"I can call you whatever I want to, as long as I let you stay." He smirked.

Elizabeta came out, apparently having heard him for she was carrying food.

"Grazie." He muttered. It's not that he wasn't a morning person; he wasn't exactly a people person.

She smiled. "You're welcome."

The food was delicious, eggs cooked perfectly and bacon just the right amount of crispiness.

"Now, it's time we talked about your schooling. What school are you supposed to go to?" Lovino panicked. What was he supposed to say?

Thinking quickly, he answered, "Laura hasn't told me yet."

"Oh. Well, it would be best to call her soon." She smiled. Feeling guilty, he looked down.

"Yeah, I'll go call her now."

Heading to the living room, he began to call her.

"Hello?"

"Laura, what am I supposed to do? I'm not registered for any school around here!"

"Relax, Lovi. Do you honestly think I didn't think this through? I signed you up for the local elementary school when you first came to stay with me."

"Oh, good thinking."

"I know. Is there anything else you need?"

"No, that's it."

They said their goodbyes and Lovino had just hung up when he was grabbed and dragged upstairs.

"Hey! Let me go!" He tried to shout, but a hand was quickly shoved over his mouth.

He was shoved into a room and the door was slammed shut. He spun around to look at his captor, to find…..

(Okay that's the end of the chapter. PLEASE REVIEW!)

(HA! JUST KIDDING!)

RODERICH!

"WHAT THE HELL?!" He yelled.

"Shut up!" Roderich shushed. "You'll alert Elizabeta!"

"What's up?" Lovino was confused.

"Why are you really here?" He said suspiciously.

"W-what do you mean?" Lovino stuttered.

"Oh, come on! I know there's no exchange program going on!"

"F-fine. But you can't tell Elizabeta!"

"Fine."

He explained his situation, trying to leave some details out, but Roderich caught him each time.

"Hm. I guess I can relate."

"What?"

"To your situation, I mean. My parents are never home, but at least I have Elizabeta."

"So you won't tell?" He said, anxiously.

"No, of course not." Roderich smiled reassuringly.

"Thank you."

The next day, he started school. It was boring, at first, since none of the other students tried to talk to him. But then he noticed a boy in the corner.

"Hello?" He tried to ask.

"Y-you can see me?" The boy looked so hopeful, it nearly broke Lovino's heart.

"Yeah, why wouldn't I?"

He looked down.

"N-normally, people don't see me, and if they do, they mistake me for my brother." He pointed to an overly excited boy practically screaming in front of the class.

"Well, I promise I won't mistake you for your brother." He vowed. "Say, what's your name? I'm Lovino."

"I-I-I-I'm Matthew." He whispered.

And it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

6 months later

Lovino knew it was catching up with him. He had heard it on the news. His family was looking for him.

He wanted to tell Matthew goodbye, but didn't know how.

"Um, Matthew, I don't know how to say this, but I-I-I'm leaving."

"You're the boy on the news, aren't you?" He gasped.

"H-how did you know?"

"D-doesn't matter. Can I come with you?"

"What, why?"

"I'm sick and tired of being mistaken for Alfred. I doubt my parents would even notice I'm gone." Matthew sighed.

"Of course you can come. Meet me at the park at twelve tonight. Bring any money you can find and be ready to move."

So that's it! Please REVIEW! And if you do, please answer this question:

FACE family or nah?

And THIS STORY IS NOT PRUCAN! Please do not ask me if it is!

Everyone who reviews gets cookies and a free compliment on their stories, profile, or, if no account or profile, their name!


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for taking so long! I may only update twice a month or less, but I'm kinda busy. I'm on the student council, I do art club, I'm in this thing called SADD, and I go and ride horses with my friend at least once a week. I have a life. Surprisingly. This chapter took a long time. It may be short, however.**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Hetalia, would I really be writing fanfiction instead of actually making it happen? I think not.**

**XxXxXxXxXxXxXxX**

Matthew didn't know what he was expecting when he got to the park. He didn't know what they were doing in the means of transportation, bus, plane, maybe even hitch-hiking, though it was illegal and very dangerous.

So he had grabbed all the money he had saved, $1000, and left after he was sure his parents were asleep.

****Flashback****

_Matthew crept out of his room after making sure he had everything. He glanced into his brother's open room, smiling slightly, seeing Alfred sprawled out in his bed, covers thrown off. He would miss his brother, despite the fact he always forgot him. It wasn't Alfred's fault he forgot Matthew existed. It was simply his own fault for being so forgettable. He jumped out of the way when he heard his brother seem to wake up, but Alfred simply rolled over and resumed snoring. Matthew sighed in relief- or was it disappointment?- and walked quickly downstairs._

_He stopped yet again as nostalgia washed over him. He had spent twelve years in this house. He was raised here. It was not easy to leave, especially not knowing if his parents would even notice. He remembered the time his family had planned to have a picnic, only to get rained out. So, instead, they had had a picnic in front of the TV, watching some old cheesy movie as they ate watermelon and peanut butter sandwiches. He also remembered the time they had repainted Alfred and his rooms. It had started out fine, but had ended with paint in everyone's hair and Alfred covered head to toe in paint._

_Matthew shook his head. There was no time for that. He had to go. _'Go?' _A cruel voice in his head said. _'You don't honestly think Lovino wants anything to do with you? It's probably just a trick, and you'll have walked to the park and got ready to leave for nothing.' _He shook his head again. _'No, Lovino wouldn't do that, would he?'_ But what if he did? After all, Matthew didn't know him that well. How could he know if Lovino's intentions were good? He sat down. He was starting to get stressed. His anxiety would kick in if he kept this up. _'No. If Lovino's not there, I'll just head home and my parents will never know,' _Matthew thought, firmly._

_He stood up and quietly walked out the door. Glancing back, he sighed. _'It's now or never.'

"Did you get everything?" Lovino stood almost hidden in the shadows. The corner of the park that they were in was very dark, hidden away from all the streetlights. He had a backpack on and was holding a plastic bag.

Matthew was startled. "Um, h-hello?"

Lovino rolled his eyes. "Ciao. Now, let's get to work, and stop stuttering, will you?"

"S-sorry."

Lovino picked up the bag."It's stuff to help us get disguised." He dumped it on to the ground. Four containers of hair dye along with some wigs tumbled out. Matthew bent down to examine them.

"R-really?" He held up one container. "Blue hair dye?"

"I've always wondered what I'd look like. I think it suits me." Lovino smirked.

Matthew laughed, but didn't say anything for a few minutes.

"You know, I really appreciate you coming with me. It doesn't make it seem so lonely."

"W-well, I wasn't really noticed, a-anyways. I doubt they'll notice I'm gone." He looked at the ground.

**Meanwhile, with Lovino's grandparents and brother**

Feliciano was panicked. About six months ago, he had woken up to his nonna shaking him, asking if he knew where his fratello was. Lovino was gone with no signs of where he had gone.

He was devastated when his brother hadn't turned up a month later. He loved his brother and had greatly admired him. It saddened him to discover that his fratello hadn't been happy here.

They had been working freverently trying to find Lovino, but it seemed he didn't want to be found. They had followed his trail to Belgium, where a cousin had helped Lovino get to America. His grandparents had the choice of charging Laura for kidnapping, but they didn't. They were too devastated to get mad and were instead grateful that Lovino hadn't just disappeared. He was, however, in America, a very big and dangerous country. Not that Italy wasn't dangerous, of course, but at least they were able to keep an eye on him there.

They were starting to get desperate. It had been six months now and there was no sign of Lovino. Laura had refused to tell them anything, her loyalty to Lovino too strong. His grandparents were _this_ close to pressing charges. In fact, they had already set up their case. Feliciano didn't want them to, of course, but his brother had been gone six months and, still, she wouldn't say anything besides Lovino being in America.

The day it had hit six months, Feliciano was allowed to stay home. After spending much of the afternoon in his room, he had come downstairs to get a snack. But he stopped dead in his tracks as soon as he heard his grandmother arguing with his nonno.

"Cassia! You're going to run us into the ground trying to press charges against that girl!"

His nonna fumed. "I'm trying to get our grandson back, you old fool!"

"Well, you can do that without spending all of our money!"

"I just want our Lovi back!" She cried, burying her face in her hands.

"I know you do. And so do I, but we don't have to press every charge in the world against Laura to do that." Nonno sat down, rubbing Nonna's back comfortingly.

Feliciano bolted upstairs to his brother's room and buried his face in Lovino's pillow, crying. _'Oh, fratello, don't you know the pain you're causing everyone?'_

**Back with Lovino and Matthew**

They had decided to take a bus. They had gotten to the stop at about one in the morning, having gone into the bathroom at the park to dye their hair. That in itself had been an adventure.

****Flashback****

_Lovino knew there was something off with Matthew as soon as they entered the bathroom, but he couldn't figure out what, until…_

"_Here, I'll do you." Lovino's hands went towards Matthew's hair, only to be stopped._

"_N-no, I can get it." Damn, he hated that stutter._

"_What the hell are you talking about, idiota? What, do you not trust me? Well, too fucking bad, you'll just have to deal." Lovino snapped._

"_B-but-" _

_Seeing the kid's hesitation, he softened his expression slightly._

"_Hey, it'll be alright. I'm not going to hurt you." He said._

_Matthew relaxed slightly, but, even as Lovino washed it out, he was slightly hyperventilating. _

"_Hey, it's alright. You're going to look ridiculous, but it's alright."_

_Matthew giggled slightly, but said nothing. That was alright, though. Something was better than nothing. _

_Lovino carried on making small comments like that as he continued, and by the end, Matthew had a slight sense of trust in Lovino._

They looked insane and had gotten weird looks from the few people out this late at night. They had chosen a random town to live in for the time being. It was called Schenectady. It was a town about 19 miles away from Amsterdam. It wasn't too far, so they couldn't stay long, but it would do for now.

It had sounded small enough that they could easily stay hidden. The next bus got there at about five in the morning so they had headed into a nearby library and Matthew had slept while Lovino stayed on guard, watching for the librarian. After actually thinking it through, Lovino decided that if they slept on a park bench, there was a greater chance of getting mugged and they needed that money.

As Matthew slept, Lovino thought about how he had gotten this far. Here he was, a twelve year old boy with an actual friend, and it felt great. Six months ago, if you had told him that he was going to run away and have someone he could have confided in, he would have slapped you and called you a bastard. He was going to make it.

**In the morning**

Lovino and Matt had switched around two-thirty in the morning. When Lovino awoke, he was confused to find his friend gone. He got up, dusted his pants off, and peaked around the heavy tree branches that hid their campsite. He found Matthew sitting in front of the stop, sipping one of the bottles of orange juice Lovino had brought with him. Matthew turned when he saw him, smiling.

"G-good morning." He mumbled

Lovino groaned.

"What?" Matthew said, cluelessly.

"You're one of those people! The sun rise watchers, the- the- the" He stuttered, trying to get out the words he was thinking of.

"A-an early bird?" Matthew guessed.

Lovino nodded.

"W-well, I guess you could say I am." Matthew laughed. "Y-you ready to go?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

"W-well, I'm ready." He sounded unsure."L-let's go pack our stuff."

"Um, Matt, you know, it isn't too late for you to go back home. You don't have to go with me just because you pity me." Lovino looked down.

"I-if you don't w-want me to go…" Matthew trailed off.

"No, it's not that!"

Matthew flinched.

"A-are you s-sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, bastard! Why wouldn't I be?" Lovino glared.

They sat in silence for about ten minutes, each lost in their own thoughts. They were only broken out of them by a blue bus pulling up in front of them. It had the word Greyhound on it.

"T-this is it, huh?" Matthew stared at it for a few moments, only slightly aware of where he was.

"Well, are you coming or what?" Lovino snapped.

"Y-yeah." Matthew hesitated.

"Hey, look. Are you scared?"

After a moment, Matthew nodded.

"Well, you don't need to be. I'll be with you every step of the way. Besides, you know what they say. La paura rende solo più forte."

Matthew looked confused. _'Right, the kid doesn't speak Italian.'_

"Fear only makes you stronger."

Letting that sink in, he stood up.

"So, are you ready to go?"

Matthew nodded and, together, they stepped on to the bus.

**And that's it! I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can! Also, for all Supernatural and PJO fans, what do you think about the new season and book? I think the new episodes are great and I cried while reading BoO!**

**Also, I have a new story planned but I don't know when that will be up. Its basically about the 2ps watching the show, with my friend's and my OCs directing them and telling them fun facts about their 1ps. How does that sound?**

**Next chapter: Lovino and Matthew have made it to their new home, but will it continue to be that? And when will this pesky authoress introduce the great and awesome Prussia? Find out next chapter!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello people! Sorry for that couple week hiatus! However, I now have a story posted up on Archive Of Our Own! It's called Camp Hetalia and my pen name for that is haetalie101! It's based on the Disney Channel movie, Camp Rock! It's PruCan with Fem!Canada and lot's of other genderbent nations! So go check that out if you want! I have also started a TMNT fanfic, it's called It All Changed and I'm really excited to write it! I think I may have made my OC a Mary-Sue, though.**

**And also, any manga you want to recommend to me because I'm hella bored and need new things to read! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia. However, if anyone wants to get me it… *Cough* North *Cough***

**North (from Rise of the Guardians): HOO HOO HOO HOO (laughing) Very funny, Hailey!**

**Me: *Pouts***

The bus ride was really… interesting. There was a group of old ladies knitting and gossiping like old ladies do. There was a mother with two arguing toddlers and very little patience. The toddlers were so annoying, though, and Lovino really couldn't blame her for screaming at them, especially when they started singing "Let It Go". There was even a girl with about twelve cats following her, yet the bus driver either didn't notice or didn't care.

They got there in an hour, having spent most of the time in an awkward silence. Lovino quickly scrambled off the bus, Matthew and the girl with her cats following. The cat girl turned left and walked on, ignoring them.

"S-so where d-do we go now?" Matthew asked. Lovino really wished he would stop stuttering.

"I'm not sure, b-but I'll figure something out."

They decided to walk along the busy streets and look for an abandoned building or something. There were multiple instances they were shoved. The fifth time they were, a man with strawberry blonde hair and a cheery smile helped them up.

"Oh, you poor dears! Are you hurt?" He knelt beside them, a worried expression on his face.

"N-no! Now leave us alone, bastard!" Lovino spat.

"I'm afraid I simply cannot leave two little boys all alone in a busy town like this!" The man said, ignoring Lovino's shout of "Hey! We're not little!".

"My name's Oliver. What's yours, dear?" He offered his hand to Matthew.

Matthew started to shake slightly, but still lightly shook the man's hand.

"M-my name's Matthew a-and this is Lovino." He motioned to the redhead, who scowled at Oliver.

"Well, where are your parents, love?" Oliver asked.

Matthew was at a loss of things to say, so Lovino quickly jumped in.

"They're working! So leave us alone, idiot!"

"Alright then. I suppose you can go, unless…" Oliver turned, ready to walk away. A sinister smile was on his face, though no one was looking.

"U-unless what?" Matthew's shy voice questioned.

"Unless you boys would like to come to my bakery. I'm sure you boys must be hungry."

Lovino was ready to protest, until he thought about it. _'Free food…' _His stomach growled at the thought.

"W-well, okay. But we're not staying long!" He reasoned.

Oliver smiled brightly, leaning down to hug Lovino. "Oh, that makes me so happy! I'm sure you'll love it!"

"Let me go, bastardo!" Lovino shouted.

Oliver let go, turning once again.

"Well, come along then!" He said.

Oliver's bakery was a pink monstrosity. At least it was in Lovino's opinion. It was called "Oliver's Sweets and Treats". They headed inside.

"Ollie, you're back! Good thing too, the shop was becoming a bit crowded!" A blonde bounced up to them.

"Thank you for watching it, Amelia! I hope you didn't steal anything." He teased.

"Of course not, dude! A heroine never steals anything!" She chirped.

Oliver laughed. "Well, I suppose she doesn't, does she?"

"Oh, and who are these cuties?" Amelia bent down, smiling.

"These are Matthew and Lovino. Their parents are at work, so they're going to stay here until they pick them up." Oliver informed them.

"Hello, boys. I'm Amelia. I work here at Oliver's shop."

"H-hello." Matthew called out, hiding slightly behind Lovino.

"OH! They're so cute! Though, I am wondering about their hair color's." She said, squealing.

"W-well, our parents are very supportive!" Lovino quickly thought up an answer.

Oh. Well, I have to go. I have dance practice at 12 and I need to get ready. You can handle the shop by yourself, right?"

Oliver nodded.

"Great! See you tomorrow! Bye, boys!" She dashed out.

"So, how do you boys feel about helping me in the shop?"

"I-I guess that's okay." Matthew replied. Lovino didn't care because he wanted food.

And so, they helped Oliver, not knowing the sinister things he wanted to do to them.

It was fun helping Oliver, Matthew decided. He wasn't forced to talk about things he didn't want to. But he did get a weird feeling around Oliver and he wasn't one to not trust his intuition.

Later that night, after closing time, Oliver offered to call their parents. Matthew panicked, not knowing what to say.

"That's alright! We can just walk home!" Lovino butted in. Matthew mentally thanked him and planned to verbally thank him later.

"Oh, but I bet you two don't have parents, isn't that right, Matthew?"

Matthew flinched.

"HEY! Leave him alone!" Lovino yelled, taking a defensive position.

"I'm right, aren't I? I assumed because of your clothes. A bit dirty, a little tattered. That and your bags. No one carries that much unless they're runaways. But that's fine, it makes this easier." Oliver smirked.

"What, are you kicking us out? Well, that's fine, bastard, we've been here long enough! Come on, Ma-?!" Lovino walked towards the door until he was yanked from behind.

"Lovino!" Matthew cried.

"Better stay quiet, love~! Don't want to see your friend hurt after all!" Oliver sang. Matthew gasped out of fear.

He tied them up, making sure to keep them apart.

"W-what are you going to do?!" Though he would never admit it, Lovino was scared.

"Well, it's simple, dear~ You see, I make meat pies for supper and I'm afraid I've run out of ingredients~ You two should do just fine~" Oliver smiled creepily and crept towards them, slowly taking a knife out from behind his back. "Now, who first?"

He surveyed them, before deciding on Matthew. "I guess you will be the most fun, Lovino, so I'll save you for last."

He raised his knife and…

**Crash!**

"Hmmm, I wonder what that was. Maybe, it's a new victim." He pondered before turning back to the boys. "Well, looks like our game has to wait a moment~ But don't worry. This will just take a second~"

Lovino turned to Matthew as soon as he was gone.

"Let's see if we can get lose."

"What's the point? He'll be back soon." Matthew sighed, accepting his fate.

"That's no way to talk, idiot! We have time!"

Lovino looked near him before noticing the knives next to him and mentally facepalming. '_That idiot..._' He thought.

He reached up with his tied hands and grabbed one with great difficulty. '_Now I have to be careful..._'

Lovino tried to do it like he saw the heroes in movies do it, but eventually cut himself. '_Damnit!_' Still, he got it down in three minutes and quickly cut his legs free.

He walked over to Matthew and cut him free, before looking around the apartment, checking for an escape route.

Lovino spotted one hidden behind some boxes. He knocked the boxes down and pried the door open.

"Hey, Matthew! Over here!" He shouted quietly to his friend.

Matthew ran over and they ran down the rickety, old stairs, it almost giving out under the weight.

They ran past the door before stopping at the corner to check for Oliver. They noticed him having an argument with a scruffy blonde man.

Lovino decided to run past them, despite it being risky, and Matthew followed him. The man simply stared and didn't alert Oliver.

They breathed a sigh of relief at that and kept running, passing ten blocks before stopping at an alley.

"We can sleep here tonight. I'll keep watch in case Oliver comes back, you get some sleep." Lovino commanded.

Matthew simply nodded, too stunned to talk. He set up a makeshift bed and curled up.

'_Was this really the right thing to do?' _He wondered before falling asleep.

**Questions you may have:**

**Why were the knives right next to Lovino? **

**To be honest, it was for the sake of the story. But, it was also to show that Oliver had done this before. He was a little rusty with killing people. Yeah, I know it was cliche. Sue me…**

**Why are they staying in the city still?**

**It's only for the night. After this, they're leaving and going to a different city far away from here, where they may or may not meet a certain albino…**

**Why didn't that blonde man tell Oliver about them escaping? And who was he?**

**He was 2p France. He didn't tell Oliver because, well, if you didn't know, 2p France doesn't get involved with things, so he really didn't care about them.**

**What was the purpose of this chapter?**

**It was to show that not everything they do results happily. They're living on the streets. That's not a very happy place. And it was to make you guys happy.**

**I hope this answered any questions you may have. If not, either PM me or review your question! I'll probably continue doing this for the rest of the story!**

**Sorry for not updating for so long! I was really busy with school and kind of had a bit of writer's block! I'm luckily on Thanksgiving break right now, so you guys get an update! I should update over Christmas break, so expect that!**

**Tell me if you see any grammatical errors because I may have missed some! I'll probably replace this with an edited chapter later because I want to get this up as soon as possible!**

**I've finally started watching Ouran High School Host Club and it's so funny! I'm on episode 17!**

**Shout out to the amazing kheelwithit because she's an amazing beta!**

**ALSO PAY ATTENTION TO THIS: I have started writing the fanfic I talked about last chapter, but I want to hear from you guys! Would you read it or nah?**

**Everyone who reviews gets a virtual kitten! **


	5. Chapter 5 Christmas!

**Hello, guys! So this is your Christmas gift! It focuses on what happens during Christmas with Lovino and Matthew, and, depending on my brain and what I want to happen, possibly Gilbert. (A/N: *After writing this chapter* Sorry guys, my brain didn't want Gilbert in this chapter! He should be in the next one, though.)**

**ATTENTION: I have a new poll up on my profile! It's about the story I mentioned the 3rd chapter! So, go check that out!**

**Disclaimer:**

**Me: WAHHHHHHHHH!**

**Canada: W-what is it, Hailey?**

**Me: I-I-I-I… I DON'T OWN HETALIA! HOLD ME, CANADIA!**

**Canada: I-I'm Canada.**

It was twelve days before Christmas and Lovino didn't know what to do.

They had, luckily, gotten away from Oliver and had fled to another small town, Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Getting there had been a blur and, before he knew it, they were there. It had been an adventure trying to figure out where to stay. There had, fortunately, found an old abandoned house on the edge of town. The bonus was that it was far, far away from everybody else.

They had told anybody that asked that their parents lived way out in the country, which wasn't a lie exactly, and that they were very busy. Most people accepted this explanation without question.

When it had started snowing, Lovino freaked out. He had ran out to the local general store and had hurriedly bought winter coats, since they hadn't thought to bring more than a jackett.

When it snowed, he had realized how close it was to Christmas and had decided to get a job. He wanted to get Matthew a gift, but didn't want to waste their emergency stash, as they had called it. So, he asked around about jobs and one person had hired him to shovel their driveway and sidewalks. When he had done that, the lady had told everyone else and he was soon hired by many people.

He charged $10 per person and soon had $100. But, soon, he had another problem. He didn't know what to get Matthew!

He knew he liked maple syrup, but that was it! '_What can I get him?_' He thought.

XxXxXxXInsertLineHereXxXxXxX

Lovino was browsing a store when he saw it. A white bear with a maple leaf on it was at the very end of the almost empty shelf.

"Perfect!" He reached up and grabbed the bear. He was wondering what else to buy when he had an idea.

He then bought a cheap saw and some very cheap ornaments and tinsel.

XxXxXxXInsertLineHereXxXxXxX

On Christmas Eve, late at night, he crept quietly down the broken stairs and headed to the forests near the house with the saw. He knew it was dangerous this late at night, but he didn't care. He wanted to make this Christmas magical for his friend.

He cut down a small pine tree with great difficulty and dragged it inside. He set it up and sat the ornaments next to it. He thought that Matthew might want to decorate the tree together.

Lovino then set Matthew's gift under the undecorated tree and went to bed.

XxXxXxXSoManyLinesXxXxXxX

"Lovino! Lovino! Wake up! It's Christmas!" He was woken up to someone shaking him and talking quietly.

"Ugh, five more minutes." He groaned, rolling over.

"But, Lovino! It's Christmas!"

"Ugh, fine." He rolled out of his broken bed, glaring at it. He hated it. It was so uncomfortable, but it was all they had.

He raced downstairs, wanting to see Matthew's reaction.

And boy, was it a sight.

"Wow…" Matthew said, softly.

He turned to Lovino. "Y-you did all this?"

Lovino scratched the back of his neck, looking down. "W-well, I wanted this to be a Christmas you won't ever forget. I-it's alright if you don't like it. I jus-"

He was cut off by two gangly arms wrapping around him.

"T-thank you." Matthew whispered.

"You're welcome." Lovino whispered back.

They then separated to decorate the tree, tossing tinsel at each other as they worked.

Finally, they were done and began to open gifts. Matthew had gotten Lovino a gift as well.

"You open yours first." Lovino insisted.

"A-alright." He took the top off of the plain white box with nothing but the words "To Matthew" written in the messy handwriting all boys seemed to possess on it.

"I-I love it." He whispered, shocked at how soft the bear was. "I'll call it Kumajiro." He hugged it to his chest, grinning.

"That's a great name." Lovino smiled. "I'll open mine."

He grabbed the small flat box and was surprised to see a necklace with a tomato on it along with five small round cherry tomatoes.

"How did you know?"

Matthew smiled. "Just a guess."

They then spent the whole day relaxing, not knowing that they were about to meet a person who would change everything."

**Aw, merry Christmas, boys! And yes, someone new's coming next chapter! Who knows who it is? Leave your answer in a review! Whoever gets it right gets a mention and may submit a small OC for next chappie!**

**Sorry for how short it is! Please review and tell me what you feel about me continuing to post special chapters on holidays!**


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